Automatic grooved-rail clearer for street-railways.



No. 650,867. Patented June 5, I900. E. VON PLANTA.

AUTOMATIC GBOOVED BAIL CLEAREB FUR STREET RAILWAYS.

(Application filed Jan. 23, 1900.)

(No Model.)

A 77'0RNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EMANUEL VON PLANTA, OF ZURICH, SWITZERLAND, ASSIGNOR TO HANS MERKE-WERZINGER AND A'DOLF BALLIE-KLAINGUTTI, OF BASLE,

SWITZERLAND.

AUTOMATIC GROOVED-RAIL CLEARER FOR STREET-RAILWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming'part of Letters-Patent No. 650,867, dated'June 5, 1900.

Application filed January 23, 1900- Serial No. 2,540. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EMANUEL voN PLANTA, engineer, a citizen of Switzerland, residing at Zurich, in the canton of Zurich and Republie of Switzerland, (whose post-oflice address is No. 20 Hardthur1nstrasse,) have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Grooved Ra-il Olearers for Street- Tramways; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanyin close contact with the rails on curves are movable horizontally, and by allowing their own weight to act freely are independent of the vertical motion of the car-frame.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front view of the grooved-rail clearer with the portion of the car to which it is attached. Fig. 2 is a plan of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a section along the line 00 0c in Fig. 1.

1. is a cross-beam of the under frame of the car, to which the plates 4 and 5, with guidechannels 2 and 3, are adj ustably attached and are so controlled by tension-springs 6 and 7 that on straight rails the points 8 and 9 of the clearers stand vertically over the grooves of the rails when they are raised. A bar 10 connects the two plates 4 and 5 with each other. Slots 11 allow of a movement of the plates 4 and 5 in the direction of the length of the beam 1, while the clips 12 hold the plates 4 and 5 close to the beam 1.

13 and 14: are convex scrapers or clearers carried by the bars 15 and 16, which slide freely in the channels 2 and 3. Guard-plates 17 and 18 prevent the cleared-out mud from falling back onto the rails. If the guard of the car pushes down the lever 19 and fixes it in the notch 20, the bars 15 and 16, along with the scrapers 13 and 14, are permanently raised by help of the interveningmechanism 21 26.

When the car comes to a curve, the preceding scrapers 13 and 14:, with the guide-plates 4 and 5, move in the direction of the length of the beam 1. If the scrapers are lifted out of the groove when on a curve, then that one of the two tension-springs 6 or 7 which had been stretched by the movement sidewise of the plates 4 and 5 brings back these plates, with the scrapers,into their original position, from which the scrapers can be again dropped into the grooves of the rails. The horizontal motion of the scrapers is not transmitted to the actuating mechanism in consequence of the slit 27 in the bar 26.

When in operation, the scrapers 13 and 14 rest by their own weight and that of their bars 15 and 16 always upon the rails. Being arranged so as to allow of freedom of movement both in a vertical and in a horizontal direction, the scrapers easily yield to any forces that act on them where the rails are'too elevated or curved, so that they are never subject to any objectionable jamming or straining.

According to circumstances both ends or one end only of the car maybe fitted with the groove-clearer.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is- In a groove-clearer for street-tramways the combination with the cross-beam of the car, of guide-plates movably carried by said beam, springs acting on said guide-plates,verticallysliding bars guided on said plates and carrying groove-clearing points at their lower ends, and means for raising and lowering said bars, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two witnesses.

EMANUEL voN PLANTA.

IVitnesses HERMANN HUBER, A. LIEBERKNECHT. 

